This invention relates primarily to live or electronic video Twenty-One games, and more particularly to live or electronic video Twenty-One games that allow the player to play his first two cards of a Twenty-One game multiple times.
As played in most gaming casinos presently, conventional Twenty-One involves a game of chance between a dealer and one or more players. The object is for the player to achieve a numerical count of his hand closer to 21 than the final numerical count of the hand of the dealer; but if the numerical count of the player's hand goes over 21 then the player loses regardless of the final numerical count of the dealer's hand.
The conventional manner of play of Twenty-one is as follows: One or more standard decks of playing cards are used and each card counts its face value (with Jacks, Queens and Kings counting 10), except Aces which have a value of one or eleven as is most beneficial to the count of the hand. Each player initially receives two cards. The dealer also receives two cards. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face down and the other of the dealer's cards is dealt face-up. In some gaming establishments, the dealer receives his two cards at the same time that each player is dealt his two cards. In other gaming establishments, the dealer initially only receives one card which becomes the dealer's "up" card. After each player has had the opportunity to take additional cards ("hits"), the dealer then receives his second card.
A player may draw additional cards in order to try and beat the count of the dealer's hand. If the player's numerical count exceeds 21, the player "busts." The player may "stand" on any numerical count of 21 or less. When a player busts, he loses his wager regardless of whether or not the dealer busts when the dealer draws additional cards to his hand.
After all of the players have taken hits or have stood on their hand, the dealer "stands" or "hits" based on pre-established rules for the game. Typically, if the dealer has less than 17, the dealer must take a hit. If the dealer has 17 or more, the dealer stands.
As the game of Twenty-One is played in most legalized gaming establishments, the conventional manner of play requires the dealer to take a hit whenever the dealer's hand is a "soft 17" numerical count. However in other gaming establishments, the dealer stands on a "soft 17" numerical count. The term "soft" means that the Ace is valued as a count of 11, instead of as a count of 1. A soft 17 occurs when the dealer has an Ace and a Six (or multiple cards that add up to 6). The dealer will stand on soft 18's, soft 19's and soft 20's.
After the dealer's final hand has been established, the numerical count of the dealer's hand is compared to the numerical count of the player's hand. If the dealer busts, the player wins regardless of the numerical count of his hand. If neither the player nor the dealer has busted, the closest hand to a numerical count of 21, without going over, wins; tie hands are a "push."
There are other procedures that are included in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. One well-known procedure is "Doubling Down." If the player's first two cards have a combined value of 10 or 11, the player may "double down" on his hand. The player turns both of his cards face-up in front of him and makes a second wager up to, but not more than, the amount of the player's initial ante. The dealer deals to the player one additional card and the resulting three card hand establishes the numerical count for the player's hand. The most widely used "Doubling Down" rules permit the player to "double down" only on 10 or 11 counts. Other variations allow players to "double down" on 9, 10 or 11; only on 11; or on any two cards.
Another well-known procedure is "Splitting Pairs." If the player's first two cards are a pair, the player may "split" those cards into two separate hands. His original ante is applied to one of the hands and he makes an additional ante in the same amount for the other hand. The player receives a new second card for each of the split hands. Each of the split hands is then played separately and the player proceeds on each separate hand by standing or taking hits until he has achieved a hand count upon which he wishes to stand or until he busts. However, if the player splits Aces, then the player only receives one extra card on each Ace, unless the extra card is an Ace in which the case the player may again split the pair of Aces.
The player may "double down" on either or both of his split hands if he is eligible to do so under the "Doubling Down" rules. The player may split again if he pairs up on either or both of his split hands. In most gaming establishments, a player may also split his hand if both of his initial cards are ten count cards (Tens, Jacks, Queens or Kings). For example, a player can split if he receives a Ten and a Queen, or a Jack and a King, or any combination of ten count cards. Because a hand count of 20 is a good hand to have, most experienced Twenty-One players are reluctant to risk such a hand by "splitting".
Another well-known procedure is "Insurance." If the dealer's up card is an Ace, the player may make an additional "Insurance" bet. The insurance bets are made after each player receives his first two cards and the dealer reveals his up card (which must be an Ace for insurance to be available) and before any additional cards are dealt. When the dealer's up card is an Ace, each player can wager one-half of the amount of his original ante as insurance against the dealer having a Blackjack, i.e. a two-card 21 count (an Ace and a 10 count card such as a King, Queen, Jack or Ten). If the dealer has a Blackjack, the player loses on his original ante but wins two-to-one odds on his "insurance" bet. Also if the dealer has a Blackjack, that round of the game is over and all players lose except those who also have Blackjacks, who then tie or "push" with the dealer. If the dealer does not have a Blackjack, the player loses on his "insurance" bet and the round of the game continues.
Another conventional feature that is often offered in Twenty-One games is the "Surrender" option. If the player chooses to Surrender, the player receives back half of his initial wager and folds his hand. This option is usually only available after the player has received his first two cards and before the player has taken any hits on his hand.
As used in this disclosure and the accompanying claims, the terms "conventional Twenty-One" and "the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One" mean the game of Twenty-One as previously described and also including any of the known variations of the game of Twenty-One.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429 (LeVasseur) discloses a Twenty-One game in which the player receives a single hand to play against multiple dealer's hands. The player makes one, two or three wagers depending upon how many dealer's hands the player wishes to play against. The player is dealt two cards and the dealer receives an original face up card. The player plays out his hand only once taking hits or standing as in conventional Twenty-One. Once the player has completed the play of his hand, the dealer then plays his hand out relative to the first wager made by the player. The outcome of this first play of the dealer's hand is determined relative to the player's hand. The dealer then discards all of his cards except the original face up card received by the dealer. The dealer then plays his hand out relative to the second wager made by the player. The player still uses his same first hand, but all the dealer's cards for his second hand are different except for the original face up card. Again the outcome of this second play of the dealer's hand is determined relative to the player's hand. Finally, a third dealer's hand is played in the same manner.
The method of play described in this patent has been commercially successful in gaming casinos and played under the mark MULTIPLE ACTION.RTM. Blackjack. But this method has the drawback that the player would have made three separate wagers and may receive a poor hand. The player must play a single hand with regard to all of his wagers. If the player during the play of this single hand exceeds a numerical hand count of 21 (the player busts), the player will have lost all three wagers regardless of the outcome of the play of the dealer's hand.
A disadvantage of conventional Twenty-One is that each round of the game consists of one player's hand against one dealer's hand. Once the player draws his cards and achieves a hand count total on which he wishes to "stand," the player has only a single opportunity to win or lose because the dealer is likewise playing only a single hand.
There is a need in Twenty-One for a modification in which the player has the opportunity to win more than once during each round of play and to take advantage when the player receives a good hand.
There is also a need for the gaming establishment to increase the amount of revenue generated by the game of Twenty-One in the same time period without simply increasing the size of the wagers made by the player. This can most easily be accomplished by increasing the number of hands that can be dealt and played in any given time period.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of play of the game of Twenty-One which increases the effective number of hands that can be played in the same amount of time.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide the player with multiple opportunities to play his initial two cards against a single hand of the dealer. Thus if the player receives a bad card or cards the first time he takes hits on his first two cards, the player has the opportunity to again take hits on his first two cards and possibly receive a better result.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the potential revenue to the gaming establishment can be increased because more hands per hour of Twenty-One can be played. Likewise the player is provided with multiple opportunities to win whenever the player achieves a good hand.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.